Mal Sercombe is Senior Pastor of Darwin Baptist Church. Thanks to a scholarship provided by some generous PeaceWise supporters, he was recently able to attend Personal Peacemaking, Conflict Coaching and Mediation training over five days. Here are his reflections…
“If I’d realised how beneficial PeaceWise training was going to be I’d have done it a whole lot sooner. With a biblical perspective and immediate application to ministry it is some of the most valuable training I’ve done. So much so that I’ve given books to other pastors in our city, encouraging them to pursue PeaceWise training.
“Like many (most) other pastors, I’m called upon to work with people in conflict – in families, workplaces and churches and some of these situations are extremely challenging. PeaceWise hasn’t made me an ‘instant expert’ but it has definitely given me some useful tools to work with and more importantly, a frame of reference with which to approach confl ict. There is much more to learn and I’m looking forward to doing advanced courses.
“I think the PeaceWise approach is important because it’s much more than just addressing confl icts. PeaceWise is about actively and intentionally building cultures of peace: communities of people for whom the pursuit of peace is a hard-wired default position. I’m inspired by the possibilities as I help our church family embrace a peacemaking mindset.
“My introduction to PeaceWise training was made possible by generous sponsorship which greatly reduced the cost. I’m so grateful to those who have made this investment.”
